Chapter 5 - Ryan
Ryan
I’d love to say I didn’t think about Dominic over the next few days.
That the conversation we’d had finally closed the door for me.
That I didn’t remember how his eyes had glittered as he admitted just how fucking broken he’d been living with his dad.
Or the hurt in his voice as he’d yelled at me for believing he was in love with Max.
I’d love to deny it all.
But that would make me as much of a liar as Dominic.
Didn’t help that Xander had called last night to wish me luck for today. He was pissed he was missing out on my engagement party as well as my stag do, but not as pissed as he was when I filled him in on exactly who had gatecrashed my life.
It felt good to get everything off my chest. Xander’s colourful expletives about the whole situation made me chuckle.
Thank fuck he’d be back soon. Like Dom and Max, he’d decided to leave the service.
And, unlike them, he’d told me about it a while ago.
A better friend would’ve waited until he was home before embarking on all these life-changing events.
I refused to look too closely at why I was in such a rush to get Kate down the aisle, especially with Dominic back in my life. Besides, Xander would be here for the wedding. That was the main thing. By then, Dom would have been relegated back to his proper place.
A ghost from the past.
Today was a step in the right direction. A step I was taking with Kate.
“I can’t believe today’s here already,” she said as we walked up the hotel steps.
Tylney Hall Hotel was the kind of place I never would’ve set foot inside as a kid.
A former manor house, its old-world charm and historical features made it one of the top wedding destinations in the south. “It’s all going so fast.”
“The wedding will be here before we know it,” I said, taking her hand in mine and smiling. “Just three weeks now.”
My stomach twisted. From excitement, I told myself firmly. This was what I’d been working towards. Today’s engagement party was another step along that path.
A path that would end in my happiness.
“Are you sure your parents don’t want us to contribute?” I asked Kate for the millionth time. “I feel bad that they’re spending so much on us.”
“You know they insisted.” She squeezed my hand. “Trust me, it’s just a drop in the ocean for them. Besides, they’d never forgive me if I didn’t let them.”
“You are their princess,” I teased.
Kate rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Don’t start that again.”
Despite her wealthy upbringing, and her mother and stepfather’s inclination to treat her, Kate was far from spoiled.
Like me, she’d worked hard to get to the position she was in.
She could’ve lived the easy life of a trust-fund baby, but she chose not to.
Everything in her life came from her own salary.
She outright refused to let her parents pay for anything, or to touch her substantial trust fund.
To say we came from different backgrounds wouldn’t begin to cover it.
Where I’d grown up in a council house, Kate had flitted between her parents’ city pad, their country estate, and their villa in Italy.
Kate hadn’t had to pick up extra paper rounds to afford credit for her phone.
She’d never known what it was like having to decide between a hot meal or heating while at uni.
I thought, in a way, that the way Kate lived now was her own form of rebellion. Where I’d rebelled against my teenage years by turning my back on art and pursuing the safer option, Kate had branched out on her own. She’d forged her own path, not letting her parents influence any of it.
It was something I admired about her. Letting her family pay for the wedding was the single point she’d conceded on. I wasn’t sure why, especially as I’d amassed a tidy nest egg myself. But Kate so rarely insisted on anything that I went along with it.
Didn’t mean I was comfortable letting them pay, but Kate and I had never disagreed about anything. I didn’t want our wedding to be the first.
The party didn’t start for another hour, but we wanted to make sure everything had been set up correctly.
Rather, Kate did. I didn’t really give a fuck.
If it had been left up to me, I wouldn’t have bothered with an engagement party at all.
What was the point in a pre-celebration?
Especially given the wedding itself was so soon.
But having this made Kate’s parents happy, which made her happy. I was good with that.
“Katherine, there you are.” A slim figure wrapped in designer clothes floated over to us on a cloud of expensive perfume. “Everything’s ready, darling.”
Kate stiffened beside me at the use of her full name. She hated being called anything other than Kate. “Hi, Mum.”
The two air-kissed, Kate seeming more uncomfortable with each passing second. I had no idea what had happened to make their relationship so strained, or even if it had always been that way. Kate had never shared, and I’d never pushed.
“And Ryan,” her mum trilled as she stepped back and turned her attention to me. “You look fabulous as always.”
“Thank you, Helen.” I kissed her cheek in greeting. “As do you. Thank you once again; this all looks fabulous.”
It did. The tables were covered in delicate lilac cloths and topped with artful floral displays. More flowers were dotted around the room, permeating the air with their scent. Staff were zipping past carrying endless platters of food, trays of glasses, and even candelabra.
“Kate,” a loud voice boomed from behind us. “There she is!”
Kate’s face lit up in a genuine smile as she spun to greet her stepdad. “Pops!”
The older man lifted her off her feet in a fierce hug. “Look at you, more beautiful than ever.”
“Will you two please behave,” her mother hissed. “Such public displays are not appropriate.”
Kate was immediately contrite as her stepfather returned her to the ground, but Malcolm simply rolled his eyes. “Come off it, Helen. It’s not like a hug is going to scandalise the staff.”
Helen sniffed. “You never know. We have the family name to think about.”
A deep, unfamiliar voice spoke from my left. “God forbid we forget about that.”
Kate sucked in a breath, swaying slightly as the blood drained from her face. “Rafe.”
Frowning, I turned to see who she was looking at. A stranger stood a few feet away, studying Kate like a predator. His smartly tailored suit seemed at odds with the tattoos peeking out from his collar and sleeves. Stubble covered his square-cut jaw, doing nothing to hide his sharp cheekbones.
Something about him had my awareness prickling. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that, but there was something about him that had my hackles rising. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something dangerous. Something ruthless.
Then I realised what it was.
He reminded me a little of Dominic.
It had me tucking Kate under my arm like it would protect her.
Ice-blue eyes swept over us, sparkling with amusement like something about our positioning was funny. “Hello, Kit.”
Kit? That was a name she’d never gone by as far as I was aware.
Kate didn’t answer, just leaned into my side.
Keen to defuse whatever weird-ass tension Rafe had brought in with him, I extended the hand not around her. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Ryan, Kate’s fiancé.”
“Rafe,” he said, not bothering to smile as he shook my hand. Nor did he bother to look at me, gaze still fixed on Kate. Kate, who was trying to make herself as small as possible. “Kit’s stepbrother.”
My brows shot up before I could stop them. This was the guy Kate was estranged from?
“Yes, yes, it’s marvellous that Rafe was able to join us,” Helen said impatiently, looping her arm through mine. “Now, let’s go over the final details before everyone else arrives.”
As she steered us in the manager’s direction, I could feel Rafe’s gaze burning into my back. I leaned closer to Kate, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Want me to ask him to leave?”
She shook her head rapidly. “No. Don’t even speak to him, okay? I’ll deal with it.”
I frowned. Leaving her to deal with him alone didn’t seem right, but I respected Kate’s decision. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.” She gave me a tight smile. “Trust me, the last thing I want is you within six feet of Rafe.”
I thought about pushing, but for some reason, Dominic entered my mind. Would I want him within six feet of Kate?
Absolutely not.
Would I want to explain that to her?
Also no.
So I stayed quiet. Kate could have her reasons, and I’d have mine. We weren’t hiding things from each other, but rather recognising what needed to be shared and what didn’t.
Dominic didn’t matter, and neither did Rafe.
We had each other, and that was what was important.
An hour later, I was officially bored out of my skull.
I was used to having to network with people thanks to my job. Having to do so during my personal time was a right ball-ache.
I threw yet another longing glance towards the table full of my friends. They were laughing and joking, having a whale of a night. My skin itched to be sat with them. To be doing anything other than hobnobbing with Kate’s parents’ stuck-up acquaintances.
Kate seemed to be bearing up better than I was, but she was more used to this. Her smile only faded when Rafe drifted too close.
Which he did. Several times.
He never interrupted, seeming content to just hover nearby. It was weird, but Kate didn’t comment, so neither did I.
We were listening to some old Etonian droning on about zoning permissions when I finally spotted our out. “Excuse us, but my mother’s just arrived.”
Mum’s eyes were wide as they met mine. Kate struggled to extricate herself, but sensing Mum’s anxiety, I hurried away. I pulled her into a soft hug when I reached her. “Mum, you’re here.”
“Of course.” She glanced around as she drew back, her eyes darting around the room. “Is Frank here?”